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Authorities said a terror attack in Barcelona claimed at least 13 lives on Thursday and left 80 others injured after a van slammed into pedestrians on Barcelona's popular La Rambla street. >> Read more trending news Mossos d'Esquadra, the Catalonia police force, confirmed the attack in a Twitter post around 5:10 p.m. local time.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says in a draft report that the Saudi-led coalition was responsible for more than half the children killed and injured in Yemen's civil war last year. The report, obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, said the United Nations verified 1,340 casualties and attributed 683 — representing 51 percent — to attacks carried out by the coalition. It said nearly three-quarters of attacks on schools and hospitals — 38 of 52 — were also carried out by the coalition. The draft report on children and armed conflict echoes similar findings from last year when the U.S.-backed coalition was put on a U.N. blacklist for violating child rights. It was removed by then Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon after Saudi Arabia and other coalition supporters threatened to stop funding many U.N. programs. But Ban said he stood by the report, which said the U.N. verified a total of 1,953 youngsters killed and injured in Yemen in 2015 — a six-fold increase compared with 2014. Foreign Policy magazine reported Wednesday that Virigina Gamba, the new U.N. special representative for children and armed conflict, intends to recommend that the Saudi-led coalition be added to the list of countries that kill and maim children. U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters Thursday that Guterres hasn't seen the draft report that was leaked. He said its contents are still under discussion and the decision of who will be on the blacklist is up to him. Haq said Guterres is scheduled to meet Gamba on Friday but the report isn't expected to be completed for another month. Saudi Arabia's U.N. Mission said in a statement that the coalition maintains its position 'that there is no justification whatsoever for including its name in the annex of the secretary-general's report on children and armed conflict.' 'We trust that the United Nations will make the appropriate decision on this matter,' taking into consideration an ongoing review with the U.N. and 'the positive exchange of information' on the coalition's activities, the statement said. Yemen, which is on the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, has been engulfed in civil war since September 2014, when Houthi Shiite rebels swept into Sanaa and overthrew President Abed-Rabbo Mansour Hadi's internationally recognized government. In March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition began a campaign against Houthi forces allied with ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh in support of Hadi's government. Since then, the Iranian-backed Houthis have been dislodged from most of the south, but remain in control of Sanaa and much of the north.

A former Georgian president and ex-governor of a Ukrainian region is in Poland preparing to return to Ukraine after being stripped of his citizenship by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Mikhail Saakashvili told The Associated Press in Warsaw on Thursday that he will attempt to cross from Poland into Ukraine at one of the land crossings on Sept. 10. He said his aim is to fight to get his citizenship back. He said 'all I am asking for is to be able to back to go court and defend my rights.' The 49-year-old was Georgia's president from 2004-2013. In 2015, he moved to Ukraine to lead the Odessa region. But he eventually fell out with Poroshenko, who stripped Saakashvili of his citizenship by special decree last month while Saakashvili was abroad.

The lengthy Las Ramblas promenade where a van plowed into pedestrians Thursday is a tree-lined walkway that starts in a huge plaza and ends near Barcelona's harbor. It's filled with cafes, restaurants, stalls selling everything from souvenirs to flowers, the city's famed opera house and a baroque palace. It stretches 1.2 kilometers (0.7 miles), with a pedestrian-only walkway in the center of the avenue and vehicle traffic allowed on both sides. Las Ramblas is one of Barcelona's top tourist draws, a place to stroll and soak in the city's historic charm while doing some serious people-watching. 'Las Ramblas is Barcelona's Champs Elysees or Times Square,' said Pauline Frommer, editorial director of Frommer's guidebooks . 'It's mostly where tourists go to see and be seen and be entertained. There's a feeling of excitement and being at the center of it all.' The avenue can have a honkytonk atmosphere because there are so many street performers and draws for tourists to spend their money, but it's also close walking distance from many other Barcelona tourist attractions. The walk along the entire avenue is different than other global tourism destinations because it takes visitors past buildings built centuries ago and ends at the modern harbor neighborhood that was renovated when Barcelona held the 1992 Olympics, said Frommer, who has walked on Las Ramblas at least 10 times. 'It's kind of a walk that takes you from the old Gothic area to a beach, which is unique,' she said. 'You don't usually get culture, culture, culture and then fresh fish restaurants and a beach.' Just off Las Ramblas, the La Boqueria market in the Ciutat Vella district features dozens of stalls that line its large iron-roofed building, spilling mountains of colorful fruits and vegetables, rows of cured ham legs and things shoppers can't find in their supermarkets back home — like goat heads and pig feet. It's a part of the city where visitors can elbow up to a bar next to locals taking a break from their shopping. 'There was a feeling of a parade there, a feeling of celebration every day of the week for tourists,' Frommer said. 'Almost like the Spanish version of Main Street for Disney World. Everybody smiles when they are walking through and it breaks my heart that that its innocence has been broken.' ___ Clendenning reported from Phoenix. He was AP's Iberia bureau chief from 2010-2016.

Officials pointed fingers at each other Thursday over who bore responsibility for clashes between inmates and security forces that left 37 people dead in a small prison in southern Venezuela. Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said federal authorities were forced to take action after the Amazonas state governor failed to resolve a crisis at the prison in Puerto Ayacucho. He said Gov. Liborio Guarulla, a member of the opposition, had let the jail descend into 'a chaos in the hands of gangs.' 'We are closing this prison in order to rehabilitate it,' he said, adding that prisoners were being transferred to other facilities. The governor put the blame on the special forces troops that entered the Judicial Detention Center late Tuesday in an apparent bid to wrest back control from inmates. He had told The Associated Press on Wednesday that inmates seized the prison's interior in recent weeks, Guarulla remarked on Twitter that Venezuela's ruling socialist party had begun its campaign for the Amazonas governorship with a 'massacre.' He tweeted a gruesome photo of bloodied bodies piled on top of each other. Reverol said inmates were armed with rifles and at least 20 grenades. The incident marked the deadliest prison violence in Venezuela since a 2013 riot that killed 61. Many of Venezuela's jails are dominated by gangs that traffic drugs and weapons. Such power squabbles are not uncommon in Venezuela's 30 prisons, many of which also suffer from overcrowding. But officials said the facility in Puerto Ayaucho near Venezuela's border with Colombia only held slightly over 100 inmates, all of them awaiting trial. Families of the prisoners were still waiting Thursday for the remains to be identified. The governor told local media that the area's hospital had been overwhelmed by the number of bodies. Pathologists were being sent from Caracas to assist in identifications.

The deadly Barcelona van attack that killed 13 people and wounded dozens of others Thursday is the latest attack in Europe in recent years. Here are some of the other major ones, many of which used vehicles: —June 19, 2017: A British man who had reportedly made anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim remarks drives into a crowd of worshippers outside a London mosque. One person dies and nine others are wounded. —June 3, 2017: Three Islamic extremists drive into a crowd of pedestrians on London Bridge and then go on a knife rampage in nearby Borough Market, killing eight people and wounding dozens of others. —May 22, 2017: A suicide bomber kills 22 people and injures dozens during an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena in northern England. —April 7, 2017: A man driving a hijacked beer truck hits pedestrians at a Stockholm department store, killing four. —March 22, 2017: A man drives his rented SUV into pedestrians at London's Westminster Bridge, killing four, before stabbing a police officer to death. —Dec. 19, 2016: A hijacked truck plows through a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12. —July 14, 2016: A truck driver targets Bastille Day revelers in Nice, killing 86. —March 22, 2016: Suicide attacks on the Brussels airport and subway kill 32 and injure hundreds. The perpetrators have been closely linked to the group that carried out earlier attacks in Paris. — Nov. 13, 2015: Islamic State-linked extremists attack the Bataclan concert hall and other sites across Paris, killing 130 people. — Feb. 14, 2015: A gunman kills Danish filmmaker Finn Noergaard and wounds three police officers in Copenhagen. A day later the gunman, Omar El-Hussein, attacks a synagogue, killing a Jewish guard and wounding two police officers before being shot dead. — Jan. 7-9, 2015: A gun assault on the Paris offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and an attack on a kosher grocery store kill 17 people. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula claims responsibility for the attack, saying it was in revenge for Charlie Hebdo's depictions of the Prophet Muhammad. — May 24, 2014: Four people are killed at the Jewish Museum in Brussels by an intruder with a Kalashnikov. The accused is a former French fighter linked to the Islamic State group in Syria. — May 22, 2013: Two al-Qaida-inspired extremists run down British soldier Lee Rigby in a London street, then stab and hack him to death. — March 2012: A gunman claiming links to al-Qaida kills three Jewish schoolchildren, a rabbi and three paratroopers in Toulouse, southern France. — July 22, 2011: Anti-Muslim extremist Anders Behring Breivik plants a bomb in Oslo then launches a shooting massacre on a youth camp on Norway's Utoya island, killing 77 people, many of them teenagers. — Nov. 2, 2011: The offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris are firebombed after the satirical magazine runs a cover featuring a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad. No one is injured. — March 2, 2011: Islamic extremist Arid Uka shoots dead two U.S. airmen and injures two others at Frankfurt airport after apparently being inspired by a fake internet video purporting to show American atrocities in Afghanistan. — July 7, 2005: Fifty-two commuters are killed in London when four al Qaida-inspired suicide bombers blow themselves up on three subway trains and a bus. — March 11, 2004: Bombs on four Madrid commuter trains in the morning rush hour kill 191 people.

A team led by a California-based businessman is claiming a record for a powerboat crossing of the Florida Straits after speeding from Key West to Havana on Thursday. The crew of the 48-foot boat reported completing the roughly 100-mile (160-kilometer) journey to Cuba in 1 hour and 18 minutes. They say they averaged nearly 80 mph (129 kph) and hit a top speed of 127 mph (204 kph). The team was led by British-born Nigel Hook, who runs a data analytics and software engineering firm in California. American Power Boat Association executive director Patrick Mell said there is no modern record for the route so the run would establish a mark once it is certified by them and the International Union of Motor-boating. The Hook team said another boat made the same trip in 2015 in an 'unsanctioned' time of 1 hour and 51 minutes. The team is seeking recognition from Guinness World Records.

Macedonia's left wing-dominated parliament has dismissed the country's top prosecutor, whom the government accused of alleged incompetence and 'submissiveness' to the previous administration. In a ballot Thursday, all 64 lawmakers from the governing coalition voted for the dismissal of 57-year-old Marko Zvrlevski over his handling of an investigation into a major wiretapping scandal. The conservative opposition led by the VMRO-DPMNE party walked out before the vote. Prime Minister Zoran Zaev's government accused Zvrlevski of refusing to accept as evidence thousands of illegally recorded phone conversations released in 2015, and failing to investigate alleged wrongdoing by members of the previous conservative-dominated Cabinet. Zvrlevski denies wrongdoing. The wiretapping scandal triggered a political crisis which led to early elections that brought Zaev to power this year after a decade of VMRO-DPMNE rule.

The Latest on the Barcelona attack (all times local): 5:42 a.m. The Catalan government says an attack in the seaside resort town of Cambrils is linked to the vehicle attack on a popular Barcelona promenade that killed 13 people. The region's Interior Minister Joaquin Forn told local radio RAC1 early Friday that the Cambrils attack 'follows the same trail. There is a connection.' He did not explain what connected the attacks. He confirmed the driver in the Barcelona attack remains at large. Police earlier said two people who have been arrested were not the driver. The Cambrils attack involved five suspects who carried bomb belts. Police shot and killed the suspects and detonated their explosives. Police have given no details on the attack in Cambrils, but media reports say a vehicle hit a police car and people nearby. Six were hurt. ___ 4:48 a.m. The police force for Spain's Catalonia region says the five suspects shot and killed in the resort town of Cambrils were carrying bomb belts, which have been detonated by the force's bomb squad. Police earlier Friday morning had said five suspects had been killed in the town south of Barcelona during the police response to a terrorist attack in which five civilians and one police officer were wounded. They said two of the wounded are in serious condition. The force previously said it was working on the theory that the Cambrils suspects were linked to an attack late Thursday afternoon on a popular Barcelona promenade that killed 13 people and an earlier explosion in the town of Alcanar in which one person was killed. The regional police said they cannot say yet how the civilians and police officer in Cambrils were injured. Local media have reported a vehicle crashed into a police car and nearby civilians and that police shot the attackers, included one brandishing a knife. ___ This item has been CORRECTED to show that two of the wounded are in serious condition, not two of the suspects. ___ 4:20 a.m. People from Australia, Taiwan and Hong Kong have been confirmed among the injured in the Barcelona attack. Late Thursday afternoon, a van swerved through a pedestrian walkway in a popular tourist destination in downtown Barcelona, killing 13 people and injured an estimated 100 more. Authorities in Spain have said the dead and injured were from 24 countries. Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop says an Australian woman is hospitalized in serious but stable condition. She did not have details of the conditions of two men who were injured. Taiwan's Central News Agency says a mother and daughter from Taiwan were slightly injured. The Chinese consulate in Barcelona posted on its website that a tourist from Hong Kong was slightly injured and that it had no other reports of Chinese citizens being hurt. ___ 4:10 a.m. The police force for Spain's Catalonia region says the fifth suspect shot in the resort town of Cambrils has died and six civilians have been injured. Police earlier Friday morning had said four suspects had been killed in the town south of Barcelona during a police operation to 'respond to a terrorist attack.' The confrontation came about eight hours after a van swerved through a pedestrian walkway in a popular destination in downtown Barcelona, killing 13 people and injured an estimated 100 more. The regional police said they cannot say how the six civilians were injured at the moment. They earlier tweeted that they are investigating whether the Cambrils suspects were wearing explosive vests. Its officers planned to carry out several controlled explosions. The force says it is working on the theory that the Cambrils suspects were linked to the Barcelona attack, as well as to a Wednesday night explosion in the town of Alcanar in which one person was killed. ___ 3:20 a.m. The police force for Spain's Catalonia region says its troopers shot and killed four suspects and wounded a fifth in a resort town south of Barcelona to 'respond to a terrorist attack.' The confrontation came about eight hours after a van swerved through a pedestrian walkway in a popular destination in downtown Barcelona, killing 13 people and injured an estimated 100 more. The regional police said on Twitter early Friday that troopers fired on the five suspects in Cambrils, a seaside town about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Barcelona. The regional police said in another tweet that they are investigating whether the Cambrils suspects were wearing explosive vests. Its officers planned to carry out several controlled explosions. The force says it is working on the theory that the Cambrils suspects were linked to the Barcelona attack, as well as to a Wednesday night explosion in the town of Alcanar in which one person was killed. ___ 3 a.m. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is condemning the terrorist attack in Barcelona, Spain, and extending his condolences to the families of those killed. His spokesman, Farhan Haq, said the secretary-general 'wishes a speedy recovery to those injured and hopes that those responsible for this heinous violence will be swiftly brought to justice.' 'The United Nations stands in solidarity with the Government of Spain in its fight against terrorism and violent extremism,' the statement said. In Thursday's attack, a van barreled down a busy walkway in central Barcelona, swerving back and forth as it mowed pedestrians down. Thirteen people were killed and 100 were injured, 15 of them seriously, in what authorities called a terror attack. ___ 2:25 a.m. Spain's public broadcaster, RTVE, is reporting that the suspects shot and killed south of Barcelona may have been carrying suicide explosive belts. The broadcaster said the suspects tried to carry out a similar attack to the one in Barcelona, which left 13 people dead earlier Thursday, by driving a vehicle into pedestrians. It said seven people were injured by the suspects, two seriously. The channel ran a video of Cambrils' promenade in which volleys of gunshots could be heard while sirens wailed and people's screams could be heard. ___ 2:00 a.m. Police in Spain say they have shot and killed several people south of Barcelona while carrying out an operation in response to a terrorist attack. The regional police for the Catalonia region said on Twitter early Friday that officers are in Cambrils, a seaside resort town about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Barcelona. They called on people in the town not to go out on the streets. Spain's public broadcaster, RTVE, is reporting that regional police troopers have killed four people and injured another. The broadcaster says police suspected they were planning an attack in Cambrils just hours after a van swerved onto a pedestrian promenade in Barcelona, killing 13. ___ 1:10 p.m. A senior police official in Barcelona has confirmed that regional police troopers have shot and killed the driver of a vehicle that drove through a police checkpoint and struck two officers. However, Major Josep Lluis Trapero of the Catalonia region's police force says the driver is not thought to have been involved in the van attack that killed 13 people earlier Thursday night. Trapero says the dead driver 'doesn't have any connection with the terrorist attack we are investigating.' He says a female officer who was run down by the vehicle suffered a broken leg. Hours after the van attack on a downtown pedestrian plaza, the police force for Spain's Catalonia region had said that a car hit two officers at a traffic blockade on the outskirts of Barcelona. Barcelona police said that after running the checkpoint, the vehicle and its driver were intercepted about 10 kilometers (6 miles) outside of the downtown area where the original attack happened. That's when the driver was shot and killed. ___ 12:45 a.m. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy says his country is mourning in solidarity with the city of Barcelona and other cities in Europe that have been hit by deadly extremist attacks. Rajoy traveled to Barcelona following the van attack that killed 13 people and injured up to 100. He says the victims and their family and friends 'are in this moment our main priority.' The capital of Spain's Catalonia region was 'today hit by jihad terrorism like other cities have been throughout the world.' The prime minister says the residents of Paris, Nice, Brussels, Berlin and London 'have experienced the same pain and uncertainty that those of Barcelona suffer today.' For Spain, Thursday's bloodshed was the country's deadliest attack since 2004, when al-Qaida-inspired bombers killed 192 people in coordinated assaults on Madrid's commuter trains. Rajoy declared three days of mourning across Spain. ___ 9:55 p.m. The interior chief for Spain's Catalonia region says three days of mourning have been declared to honor the victims of the van attack that killed 13 people in Barcelona. Interior Department chief Joaquim Forn says the death toll could increase since at least 15 of the 100 people thought to have been injured in the attack were hurt badly. Senior police official Josep Lluis Trapero says the van driving up onto a sidewalk and swerving among pedestrians in a crowded area was 'clearly a terror attack intended to kill as many people as possible.' Trapero says the two suspects in custody were directly linked to the attack, 'but that doesn't mean that either were the author of the attack.' ___ 10:40 p.m. The government in Spain's Catalonia region has revised the death toll from the van attack in Barcelona back up to 13. The regional interior department said late Thursday that 15 people were seriously injured in the attack at the central Las Ramblas district. Another 23 were moderately wounded and 42 people were lightly wounded. The injured are being cared for at various hospitals. Catalonia's regional president, Carles Puigdemont, tells Barcelona broadcaster TV3: 'Our priority is to save lives. And our second priority is the police investigation, to find the people responsible of this attack and anyone who has helped them directly or indirectly.' ___ 10:20 p.m. Top officials in Belgium have sent wishes of solidarity to the victims of the van attack in Barcelona, including one Belgian. Prime Minister Charles Michel tweeted that 'no barbaric act will undermine the power and resilience of our ally.' Foreign Minister Didier Reynders noted that one Belgian national had been killed in the attack, and he sent his government's condolences to the victim's family. Belgian federal police, whose officers have been working extra duties as the country has been on high alert for more than a year, also said that 'our thoughts are with the people of Barcelona and all our Spanish emergency services colleagues.' Greece's foreign ministry says a Greek woman has been injured in the van attack in Barcelona. It didn't say how severe the woman's injuries are. ___ 9:40 p.m. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the van attack in Barcelona that officials say killed 12 people and injured many others. A statement carried by the extremist group's media arm — the Aamaq news agency — says Thursday's attack was carried out by 'soldiers of the Islamic State.' It says the attack was in response to IS calls for its followers to target countries participating in the coalition trying to drive the extremist group from Syria and Iraq. The statement provided no further details about the attackers. ___ 9:25 p.m. The police force for Spain's Catalonia region says a car knocked down two police officers at a traffic checkpoint in Barcelona. The Mossos d'Esquadra force did not indicate if the incident was related to the van attack in the city's Las Ramblas district on Thursday that left 12 people dead and dozens injured. Barcelona police later said in a tweet that the car and its driver were intercepted about 10 kilometers (6 miles) outside of the downtown area where the original attack happened. Local media reports said a white Ford Focus ran over the officers and that a person from the car was shot and killed by regional troopers. Neither the city nor regional police have said whether a suspect was shot. ___ This item has been corrected to show that it was local media, not police, saying a suspect had been shot and killed after two officers were knocked over at a checkpoint. ___ 9:15 p.m. The president of Spain's Catalonia region says police have arrested two people in the van attack in Barcelona's bustling Las Ramblas district. Carles Puigdemont also gave updated casualty figures during a brief news conference Thursday night. Puigdemont says 12 people are confirmed dead and at least 80 have been hospitalized since the van jumped a sidewalk and swerved through a busy pedestrian area. The region's interior minister had tweeted earlier that 13 people had died in the attack. Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau says a moment of silence will be held in the city's main square at noon Friday 'to show that we are not scared and we are more united that ever.' ___ 9 p.m. Spain's royal palace has condemned the deadly van attack in Barcelona, calling the perpetrators 'assassins, simply criminals who will not terrorize us.' A speeding van struck pedestrians in Barcelona's Las Ramblas district, killing at least 13 people and injuring more than 50 others. The royal palace's statement, which was posted on Twitter, also said that 'All of Spain is Barcelona. Las Ramblas will once again be for all.' In a separate tweet, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said that 'the terrorists will never destroy a united people who love liberty over barbarism. All of Spain is with the victims and families.' ___ 8:55 p.m. Pope Francis is praying for the victims of the Barcelona van attack and expressing his closeness to their families. Vatican spokesman Greg Burke says the Argentine pope was 'greatly worried' about Thursday's attack and is following developments closely. The Vatican has greatly increased security for Francis' public events to prevent similar truck assaults on crowds that throng to his weekly audiences and Sunday blessings in St. Peter's Square. The main boulevard leading to the piazza has been closed to traffic for well over a year. ___ 8:50 p.m. Britain's prime minister says that the 'the U.K. stands with Spain against terror' following the van attack in Barcelona that killed at least 13 people and injured dozens of others. Theresa May condemned the 'terrible' attack in which a speeding van struck pedestrians in Las Ramblas. The attack in Barcelona comes after similar vehicle attacks in London this year. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, meanwhile, said it was 'with profound sorrow and anguish that I have learnt of the terrorist attack that has struck at the heart of Barcelona this afternoon.' He added: 'This cowardly attack has deliberately targeted those enjoying life and sharing time with family and friends. We will never be cowed by such barbarism.' ___ 8:40 p.m. France's president and the mayors of Paris and Nice are among the French dignitaries offering support for Barcelona after a deadly van attack. French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted Thursday evening: 'All my thoughts and solidarity from France for the victims of the tragic attack in Barcelona. We will remain united and determined.' Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi, whose Mediterranean city lost 86 people in a truck attack during a Bastille Day fireworks display a little more than a year ago, announced that a special homage to Barcelona's victims would be held Friday. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, a Spanish native whose city has faced multiple Islamic extremist attacks in recent years, expressed her 'sadness and indignation.' ___ 8:35 p.m. President Donald Trump is condemning what Spanish authorities say is a deadly terrorist attack in Barcelona. Trump also says in a statement on Twitter that the U.S. will do 'whatever is necessary to help.' Trump tells Spain: 'Be tough & strong, we love you!' The White House has said Trump — who is on a working vacation at his private golf club in New Jersey — is being updated on developments by chief of staff John Kelly. Trump's wife, first lady Melania Trump, tweeted her 'thoughts and prayers' to Barcelona before the president. At least 13 people were killed and at least 50 injured after a van was driven onto a sidewalk and down a pedestrian zone in Barcelona's historic Las Ramblas district. ___ 8:25 p.m. A regional government official in Spain says 13 people have been killed in the van attack at a historic shopping and tourist area of Barcelona. Catalan Interior Minister official Joaquim Forn also said on Twitter that more than 50 people were injured during Thursday's attack. Regional police now are evacuating stores and bars in the Las Ramblas district. The move came right after police announced they had arrested one suspect and were 'treating him as a terrorist.' ___ 8:20 p.m. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has offered assistance to authorities in Spain as they investigate the van attack that left at least one person dead in Barcelona. Speaking to reporters at the State Department shortly after a van plowed into a crowd, Tillerson said the incident 'has the hallmarks of what appears to be yet another terrorist attack.' He says U.S. diplomats in Spain are currently assisting Americans there and asked those who are safe to notify friends and families. Tillerson says the United States would never relent in tracking down terrorist suspects and holding them to account for their actions. He said 'terrorists around the world should know that the United States and our allies are resolved to find you and bring you to justice.' ___ 8:15 p.m. The police force for Spain's Catalonia region says it has arrested a man in the Barcelona van attack and is 'treating him as a terrorist.' The police force announced the arrest on Twitter Thursday evening. It denied earlier media reports that officers had a suspect surrounded in a bar. The tweet said: 'There is nobody held up in any bar in the center of Barcelona. We have arrested one man and we are treating him as a terrorist.' Meanwhile, the region's interior minister is calling on residents to remain indoors and avoid unnecessary travel while the investigation continues. ___ 8 p.m. Spain's public broadcaster says a suspect in the Barcelona van attack has been arrested. State-owned broadcaster RTVE reported Thursday night that a man was detained a few hours after a van drove into crowds in the popular Las Ramblas district. Police have not confirmed an arrest. A private Spanish news agency, Europa Press, reported that police were looking for a man named Driss Oukabir. The news agency says he was suspected of having rented a van connected to the attack. It wasn't clear if that person is the man who was arrested. RTVE says investigators think two vans were used — one for the attack and a second as a getaway vehicle. ___ 6:30 p.m. A Barcelona broadcaster is reporting that a man thought to be the driver of a van that drove into pedestrians is held up in a bar that is surrounded by police. Barcelona's Tv3: also reported Thursday that the Spanish passport of a person of Moroccan origin was found at the scene of the attack that police say has left at least one person dead. The television station says police have surrounded a bar called Rey de Istanbul. Police haven't confirmed they have a suspect cornered. Barcelona's El Pais newspaper reported earlier that police were seeking more than one suspect in an unnamed bar. Meanwhile, a regional government official says all public festivities scheduled in Barcelona are temporarily canceled. ___ 6:10 p.m. A government official in Barcelona says one person has been confirmed dead and 32 others injured in the van attack in the city's historic Las Ramblas district. Catalonia's regional interior chief Joaquim Forn said during a news conference on Thursday: 'Unfortunately the number of fatalities will likely rise.' Media in Barcelona are reporting that up to 13 died in the attack. Barcelona police said on Twitter that 10 of the 32 people injured were seriously hurt. A van mounted a sidewalk in the popular tourist area of Las Ramblas, slamming into a crowd of pedestrians on Thursday afternoon. ___ 7:05 p.m. The White House says President Donald Trump has been alerted to the unfolding situation in Barcelona. Chief of staff John Kelly is aware of the developments and is keeping the president informed. Trump is on a working vacation at his private golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. His wife, first lady Melania Trump, sent her 'thoughts and prayers' to Barcelona via Twitter. Police in Spain have confirmed fatalities after a van slammed into pedestrians in Barcelona's historic Las Ramblas district. ___ 6:53 p.m. Police in Spain have confirmed they are investigating the van incident in Barcelona as a terror attack, while local media reports say that up to 13 people have been killed. A van slammed into pedestrians on Thursday in Barcelona's historic Las Ramblas district, which is normally packed at the height of the summer tourist season. Catalan police said: 'We confirm the terrorist attack. The protocol for terrorist attacks has been activated.' Media outlets, including Cadena SER radio station and TV3, are reporting up to 13 dead. Other reports had varying death tolls. An official death toll has not been issued. ___ 6:35 p.m. Barcelona resident Keith Fleming says he was watching television in his building on a side street just off Las Ramblas when he heard a noise and went out to the balcony to investigate. He says he saw 'women and children just running and they looked terrified.' Fleming heard a bang, possibly from someone rolling down a store shutter, as more people raced by. The American living in the Spanish city says police arrived and pushed everyone a full block down the street. He says the officers still are there with guns drawn and riot police stationed at the end of the block. His street now is deserted. Fleming says: 'It's just kind of a tense situation....'Clearly, people were scared.' ___ 6:30 p.m. Police in Spain have confirmed there are fatalities after a van slammed into pedestrians in Barcelona's historic Las Ramblas district. Catalan police tweeted that 'there are mortal victims and injured from the crash' without specifying numbers. The Barcelona-based La Vanguardia newspaper is reporting at least one dead and 20 injured. A van jumped the sidewalk in Barcelona's iconic Las Ramblas area, slamming into pedestrians. At least five were seen lying on the ground on the popular tourist street. El Pais newspaper, citing unnamed police sources, says the two perpetrators are holed up in a bar in central Barcelona. Various local media reports have called it a terror attack, but authorities haven't officially confirmed it. ___ 6:20 p.m. Spain's El Pais newspaper says that Barcelona police are treating the van crash as a terror attack. Authorities say a van mounted a sidewalk in the iconic Las Ramblas area of Barcelona, slamming into a crowd of pedestrians. Local media reports say there are several injured. El Pais newspaper, citing unnamed police sources, also reported that the perpetrators are holed up in a nearby bar. Some local media have reported bursts of gunfire. Barcelona police, in a tweet, told people to stay away from the center of the city because of a 'large contingent of security forces and emergency services' deployed in the area. ___ 6:10 p.m. Spain's El Pais newspaper, citing police sources, says the two perpetrators of the van crash in Barcelona are holed up in a bar. A van mounted a sidewalk in the popular tourist area of Las Ramblas in Barcelona, slamming into a crowd of pedestrians. Local media say several people have been injured in the crash. Barcelona police, in a tweet, told people to stay away from the center of the city because of a 'large contingent of security forces and emergency services' deployed in the area. ___ 5:45 p.m. A white van jumped the sidewalk in Barcelona's historic Las Ramblas district on Thursday, crashing into a summer crowd of residents and tourists and injuring several people, police said. In a photograph shown by public broadcaster RTVE, three people were lying on the ground in the street of the northern Spanish city Thursday afternoon, apparently being helped by police and others. Videos of the scene recorded people screaming as they fled. Police cordoned off the broad, popular street, ordering stores and nearby Metro and train stations to close. They asked people to stay away from the area so as not to get in the way of emergency services. A helicopter hovered over the scene. ___ 5:40 p.m. Police in the northern Spanish city of Barcelona say a white van has jumped the sidewalk in the city's historic Las Ramblas district, injuring several people. In a photograph shown by public broadcaster RTVE, three people were lying on the ground in the street Thursday afternoon and were apparently being helped by police and others. Police cordoned off the broad street and shut down its stores. They asked people to stay away from the area so as not to get in the way of the emergency services. A helicopter hovered over the scene. Las Ramblas, a street of stalls and shops that cuts through the center of Barcelona, is one of the city's top tourist destinations. People walk down a wide, pedestrianized path in the center of the street, but cars can travel on either side. ___ 5:35 p.m. Police in the northern Spanish city of Barcelona say a white van has jumped the sidewalk in the city's historic Las Ramblas district. They say on their Twitter account that several people are possibly injured. In a photograph shown by public broadcaster RTVE, three people were lying on the ground in the street and were apparently being helped by police and others. Police cordoned off the broad street and shut down its stores ___ 5:30 p.m. Police in the northern Spanish city of Barcelona say a white van has jumped the sidewalk in the city's historic Las Ramblas district. Police say on their Twitter account there are possibly several injured. The El Pais newspaper said several people were left lying on the ground. Police cordoned off the street and shut down its stores.

At the height of Europe's recent migration crisis, more than 7,000 people landed every day at the Greek islands that face Turkey. Orange life vests covered the beaches of northern Lesbos while multiplying numbers of new arrivals slept in fields and at the island's main port. That was the fall of 2015. Now, with international efforts underway to block smugglers and their human cargo on one of the Mediterranean Sea routes to Europe, smugglers are finding alternatives. As a result, Spain is set to overtake Greece this year as a key entry point for migrants, although Italy far and away outpaces the two other countries. Here's a look at relocation trends so far this year, based on data from the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Refugee Agency. ___ ITALY APPLIES BRAKES Italy is bearing the heaviest share of the exodus to Europe, with 97,000 refugees and economic migrants arriving illegally by boat so far this year. The government recently responded with more aggressive policies to prevent migrant boats that typically originate in Libya from reaching its ports. Actions include sending Italian military ships and personnel to assist Libya's coast guard with patrols and interceptions. Human rights groups warn that stopping the boats will expose refugees and migrants to abuse and inhuman living conditions in Libyan detention camps. The Italian government says the stepped-up enforcement appears to be achieving its goal. ___ GREEK RELIEF The number of refugees and migrants making it to Greece dropped dramatically last year after several Balkan countries tightened their borders, closing off a main land route migrants were using to reach their destinations in Europe. A deal the European Union brokered with Turkey to deter people from setting off for Greece also has largely held, despite the ongoing political crisis in that country. NATO-backed patrolling in the Aegean Sea has helped with enforcement of the agreement. The number of people arriving to Greek islands fell to 173,450 in 2016 after peaking at more than 850,000 the year before, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. So far this year, 12,440 had arrived as of Aug. 10, the agency said. ___ SURGE IN SPAIN The choke points applied to routes that were used to get to Italy and Greece has made Spain a more attractive destination. The 8,385 migrants who reached Spain by sea so far this year is more than double the number for the same period last year. The recent surge in boat traffic has alarmed authorities, including the videotaped arrival of a migrant dinghy on a beach filling with vacationers. The EU's border protection agency, Frontex, says migrant smuggling networks operating in southern Europe are becoming more skilled. 'Organized crime groups involved in migrant smuggling have become more flexible and sophisticated,' the agency said in a 2017 report . 'Migrant smugglers anticipate law-enforcement actions and prepare for policy changes.

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Florida prisons were placed on lockdown Thursday following reports of security threats. >> Read more trending news The Florida Department of Corrections announced that it canceled weekend visitation at all institutions for Saturday and Sunday because of a possible security threat. Correction officials said they received information that indicated small groups of inmates at several institutions would try to disrupt prison operations. The lockdown affects more than 97,000 inmates in Florida’s 151 correctional facilities, including major institutions, work camps and annex facilities. The move affects recreational and educational programs, but inmates are not confined to their cells, officials said. The cancellation does not apply to work release centers, department officials said.

A group of storms east of the Caribbean has developed into Tropical Storm Harvey. Harvey is approaching the Lesser Antilles and it is forecast to continue traveling west, officially arriving in the Caribbean Friday afternoon. It has been given a 100 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone over the next two days. It’s also expected to become a hurricane by Monday morning. At this point it is no threat to Florida. “We have entered the peak of Hurricane season, which is mid-August through late October,” said Dennis Feltgen, spokesman for the National Hurricane Center.

A Cleveland father is upset after he says his son was left on the school bus for hours on his first day of classes. WJW reported that Trevelle Hargrove’s 6-year-old son, Trevelle Jr., has special needs. Hargrove said his son fell asleep on the bus. >> Read more trending news Trevelle Jr. said he was found after he honked the horn of the bus and jumped up and down. A spokesperson for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District said Trevelle Jr. fell asleep on the bus Monday and was there for less than an hour. His father says otherwise. “After an hour and they couldn't tell me what was going on I started to get extremely worried,” Hargrove told WJW. 'I couldn't understand why no one could tell me where my son was.” Hargrove said his son was back four hours later, at 6:30 p.m. “You can’t just forget to do things,” he said. “This isn’t like a normal job where you forget to put the straw in the bag or you forget to clock in or whatever it is you do at a normal job. You can’t do that when it comes to kids.” Hargrove said his son won’t be riding the bus again any time soon. The district is is investigating. Cleveland Metropolitan Schools Chief Communications Officer Roseann Canfora issued the following statement to WJW: “Drivers are trained to follow strict protocols for inspecting every seat at the beginning and end of their routes, and CMSD has a zero tolerance for any violation of these safety guidelines.” The bus driver has resigned. WJW reported they may be terminated pending the outcome of the district’s investigation.

Authorities said a terror attack in Barcelona claimed at least 13 lives on Thursday and left 80 others injured after a van slammed into pedestrians on Barcelona's popular La Rambla street. >> Read more trending news Mossos d'Esquadra, the Catalonia police force, confirmed the attack in a Twitter post around 5:10 p.m. local time.

Many scientists and groups across the U.S. aren’t taking Monday’s eclipse for granted - they want to learn things! There will be lots of experiments happening during the 90-minute event. Here are just a few: 1. The eclipse movie - Volunteers from national labs and education groups will track the sun along its path using identical telescopes, which will take continuous digital pictures. The pictures will be later spliced together to make a 90-minute movie. So don’t fret if you can’t watch on Monday! 2. Sounds - college students at Tennessee’s Austin Peay State University, along with NASA< will measure the sound of the eclipse by setting up low-frequency radio experiments in bean fields. They’ll capture the noise the eclipse creates and figure out how its different from normal conditions. 3. Animal behavior - Also at Austin Peay State University, scientists will be watching how crickets and cows act when the Moon covers the sun and darkens the sky. During a solar eclipse in 1991, spiders were seen taking down their webs. 4. Solar flares - We know solar flares happen when the sun’s magnetic field causes a brief burst of intense radiation, but we don’t know enough to protect our technology from them. During the eclipse, a group of scientists in Wyoming will attempt to take some measurements of the sun’s outer atmosphere. Usually the sun is too bright to do this, but the eclipse should provide a good view. Want to watch the eclipse? CLICK HERE to see where you can get free glasses.